Name of pilot in Captiva crash released

July 19, 2014

The pilot who crashed his small plane into the Gulf of Mexico off Upper Captiva Island Wednesday night has been identified as Gregg Howard, 62, of 122 Nina Street N.E., St. Petersburg.

The Medical Examiner made the positive identification and also determined the official cause of death was drowning, according to a release issued by the Lee County Sheriff's Office Saturday.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office had received a 9-1-1 call at 5:52 p.m. Wednesday night in reference to a small plane crash off the island. Shortly after the crash, The Lee County Sheriff's Office Underwater Operations Unit sent a group of divers to the wreckage.

"The divers located the body of the pilot, and through an extensive search, were able to determine that Howard was alone in the airplane when it went down," the release states.

The National Traffic Safety Board assumed the investigation and is working to determine the cause of the crash, officials said.